EU Officials Weigh In on Greek Elections: Will It Backfire?

16/12/2014

European officials have explicitly backed the current government of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras in Greece’s latest political drama — a break with traditional practice that risks backfiring.

Under the gentlemen’s agreement that governs European politics, officials in Brussels and other national governments usually refrain from taking sides in the domestic politics of member states. But after two bailouts, five years of difficult reforms, four changes of government, two elections and one never-ending euro crisis, official Europe isn’t in the mood for change.

That change may be coming soon: Greece’s Parliament has until the end of this month to elect a new president. If lawmakers fail to agree on a new head of state, national elections — a vote that the antibailout, far-left Syriza party could well win — may take place as early as January.

“I would prefer if known faces show up,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who is a close friend of Mr. Samaras, said in a television interview recently. Asked about the prospect of general elections, he added: “I wouldn’t like extreme forces to come to power.”

Over the last few days, everyone from Annika Breidthardt, a commission spokeswoman, to German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, to European Monetary Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici have dropped not-so-subtle hints that Greeks — if forced to choose — would do well to re-elect the current government.

“The Greek people will choose their destiny,” Mr. Moscovici said in an interview with the Kathimerini newspaper, adding “but then again, it’s logical that we speak with legitimate people who do, and who think, what we think.”

Could those efforts backfire? Amid continuing austerity and with one out of four workers still out of a job, many Greeks blame the EU for inflicting pain on the country. In recent speeches, Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras has been almost as critical of Europe’s continent-wide austerity drive as he has of the government’s policies. And with a tradition of nationalism that is never far from the surface, many Greeks might well take umbrage with such outside meddling.

Some analysts also noted that the EU had actually contributed to the latest political turmoil. Mr. Samaras’s decision to move up the presidential vote by a month and a half came amid disagreements over new austerity measures with the so-called troika of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Greece’s international creditors were reluctant to commit to a credit line to secure the country’s year-end exit from its bailout program amid uncertainty over who would be in government. Mr. Samaras, meanwhile, was worried that agreeing on new budget cuts and overhauls before elections could lead voters to punish him at the polls.

“Whenever the outsiders intervene, they do more harm,” said John Loulis, a prominent political commentator. “Voters won’t feel any fear because of comments from European officials, rather, they will be annoyed.”

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